Dog is Refusing to Eat Dry dog food

lcrcboy

Hi guys I have a Soft Wheaten terrier just about 2 moths over a year old and he has started to refuse to eat dry dog food. He will go up and sniff it maybe even eat one or two pieces but than he backs off, we had him on the super value brand as it was cheap compared to most of the large brand name products, but when he kept refusing to eat it we switched him onto Pedigree but after eating about one bowl he gave up. So I gave him left over chicken one night and ham the next he will eat these no problem.
Im kind of worried he will get hooked to the meats as we just cant afford to feed him a diet based of meats, does anyone here know of any good ideas to tackle this problem.

Toulouse

First you need to get him onto a decent food, supermarket brands are not the best. If you let us know what your monthly budget is then we can recommend something.

Then feed him in the morning, leave the bowl down for 20 mins and then if he doesn't eat of finish it take it back up. Same again for the evening meals, 20 mins and that's it. Keep doing this. He might hold out for a couple of days but eventually he'll realise that he's not going to get meat and he will eat the food. A Dog won't starve themselves but if they think there's something better coming they will hold out for it.

Discostuy

Just to echo what Toulouse has said, the supermarket brands aren't great. Some of them would be like feeding your dog McDonalds.

If you could manage to get onto something a bit better I'd say that would help.
I give my two Burns dog food.

I find it fills them up better than the supermarket stuff. It also comes in different mixtures...like fish or lamb, so between the smell of it and the oily texture, they prefer it over other stuff.

Sometimes when i'm out of normal food i'd give them some supermarket stuff to tied them over. They will eat it, but they'll be hungry again very soon.
It also runs through them...so they stink the house out of it...and what comes out the other end is never pretty :P


Again as Toulouse said, he needs to realise that holding out does not = reward of your food. Any dog will would hold out if they know they'll get some chicken or beef from your plate.

You could also try mix up his food a bit. I sometimes add some Dunnes tuna, raw eggs, cod liver oil or boiled rice. This always goes down well...and it also keeps their coats and general health in good shape.

mymo

I would also recommend a better food, Whites is good, pretty cheap to feed. 15kg bag is €39 that should last you weeks.

It does work out cheaper, my friend refused to believe that until she tried it, couldn't believe the difference in the dogs and she saved €4.80 a week when she worked it out. That was changing from Bakers, similar price to pedigree.

kylith

I can only echo the sentiments already in this thread. If he knows he'll get sausages then he won't eat his own food. A member of my family has the same problem with his dog, but won't listen to me and so he spends his life wondering what's wrong with the dog because he won't eat dinner, and then he hand feeds him roast chicken and sausages!

White's is excellent food. My pair are on it and love it. A €39 bag of premium chicken lasts my terriers (approx 1 cup a day each) about 6 weeks.

portgirl123

same here for the whites, also price wise, from my local pet shop 15kg of pedigree crap is €45, the whites is €39. also as others have said you feed less so lasts longer so more savings

DBB

You might also want to ensure that the dog has no dental or mouth pain which makes eating a dry diet uncomfortable, and will make a dog prefer softer food.
Drooling or bad breath can indicate dental problems, but I'd be inclined to cancel it out with your vet to be sure.
I feed my dogs a home-made diet of meat and veg, and it is not as expensive as many commercial foods, and far, far healthier for them. This thread has some super info on it from a dog nutrition specialist (dogsfirst):
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056448589

LovelyHurling

lcrcboy wrote: »

Hi guys I have a Soft Wheaten terrier just about 2 moths over a year old and he has started to refuse to eat dry dog food. He will go up and sniff it maybe even eat one or two pieces but than he backs off, we had him on the super value brand as it was cheap compared to most of the large brand name products, but when he kept refusing to eat it we switched him onto Pedigree but after eating about one bowl he gave up. So I gave him left over chicken one night and ham the next he will eat these no problem.
Im kind of worried he will get hooked to the meats as we just cant afford to feed him a diet based of meats, does anyone here know of any good ideas to tackle this problem.

For how long did you let him go hungry?

As another poster said, there may be a clinical reason as to why he may refuse, and it is best to establish such a problem with your local Vet.

But personally I have never seen a single dog in all of my time in college or since graduating who would refuse to eat hard food. I have had maybe 30 or 40 owners tell me their dogs refuse to eat hard food, but it has always been a case that the dog simply prefers wet tinned food.

Wet tinned food is generally saltier and fattier, and less wholesome than dry food. It can also be very bad for a dog's teeth (hard food acts to clean the teeth whereas wt food gets lodged and can cause tooth decay)

If your dog refuses to eat hard food, my initial advice would be to let him go hungry for a day or so, give him no treats, and then see what his opinion is.

Some dogs can be like picky teenagers, but it is the owner's responsibility to be the Mum or Dad in the relationship, and to put the foot down on ensuring a good quality, healthy diet.

lcrcboy

Thanks everyone for the advice, I reckon Im going to buy the Whites brand that everyone is talking about, and will make sure that no one else in the house feeds him leftovers. I had a soft wheaten before this fella, and we would feed him occasionally left overs as well as his dry dog food and he would have no problem with eating dry dog food so this is a new problem for us, but I guess its sometimes down to the dogs personality.

Some people mentioned here about getting his mouth/teeth checked maybe due to a dental problem he might have, but we have given him those medium sized chew sticks made by pedigree and he seems fine with those so I dont think he has any issues with his mouth. But if he does not start eating after a few days I will get him checked out at the vet.

mymo

The whites is really quite good, do remember you don't have to feed as much of it as a cheaper food.
I have a dog of springer size and he eats half a cup twice a day, but sometimes leaves a little. He's very lively, and not under weight, but he will occasionally go 2 or 3 days without eating, or just picking out a few nuts.
The best way to feed is as advised above, put down the bowl for 10 or 15 minutes and take it up until the next meal, repeat at next meal.
He will try and get something better, be strong!

Oh and no treats or chews until he's firmly established on the new food, remember to change gradually, add a little the first week, then half and half, increase gradually until its all new food.

gumpy2

keep in mind that the better quality dog foods, your dogs eats smaller sized portions so the bag will last you a lot longer

suziwalsh

Sorry hadn't got time to read other responses but in case anyone didnt suggest....add a bit of warm water to the dry food, it helps release a stronger scent and dogs tend to like it better.

Discostuy

I just wanted to add one other thing (without trying to sound disgusting)

It is also important to get your dog eating a good quality hard food that isnt going to come out as soft gooey mess at the other end.

Solid poops help to stimulate and empty the anal glands in a dog preventing a build up of "scent". A dog whose glands arent emptying will become uncomfortable and extremly smelly.

Emptying them isnt easily done if you don't know what you are doing, and sometimes requires a trip to the vet...which is never cheap.

So it is worth keeping them on a good quality solid dry food and not tinned food all the time.

lcrcboy

cheers everyone for the replies, He did not eat anything yesterday but during the morning today he ate a bowl of the dry stuff so I think he is gradually giving in.

Thanks everyone for again for the replies